Re: embeds vs attachments

From: Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook] (MillyS_at_donteventhinkaboutmailingmemvps.org)
Date: 04/18/04 

Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2004 10:46:52 -0700

One correction - the file is winmail.dat, not mail.dat.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. Due to
the (insert latest virus name here) virus, all mail sent to my personal
account will be deleted without reading.

After searching google.groups.com and finding no answer,
ipmarketing@spamcop.net asked:

| The issue is to do with the message format.
|
| SMTP mail is in 7-bit ASCII and files are attached and
| warppered to preserve the 8-bit data. However, MS mail
| clients support 'Rich Text' allowing fonts, colours etc.
| and allows attachments to be inserted in-line in the
| document.
|
| When a Rich Text document is sent the whole message is
| wrappered in a file called mail.dat (from memory) and the
| MS Client at the other end unwraps this and represents the
| message formatted and with inline attachments etc. But, if
| the recipient isn't using an MS mail client then they'll
| get the plain body text plus a single attachment called
| mail.dat which they won't know what to do with...and it's
| more than just the actual attachement as it includes all
| the Rich Text formatting of your message too.
|
| So the solution is to send the message as plain text and
| then attach your file. you'll then see the attachment at
| the bottom of the page (or in the header in Outlook 2003)
| and not in-line. Your recipient will then get the message
| (in plain text) and your attachment fine :-)
|
| .../Iain
|
|
|| -----Original Message-----
|| Dear all,
||
|| A little confused. I attached a file to an email and sent it but
|| the person did not receivc the attachment. Looking at the sent item
|| it appears the document became embedded rather than attached....but
|| how and why could he not see it?
||
|| Thanks,
||
|| Danny
||
||
|| .

Relevant Pages

  • Re: winmail.dat problems
    ... Plain text works, I spoke incorrectly before, but HTML still sends ... The address I'm testing with has "Let Outlook decide the best ... make sure it isn't marked to send in Outlook Rich Text. ...
    (microsoft.public.outlook.general)
  • Re: winmail.dat
    ... HTML shouldn't cause the same problems in this case...most e-mail programs ... proprietary to Outlook. ... related to the Rich Text issue. ... When I change to plain text, ...
    (microsoft.public.outlook.general)
  • Re: corrupt attachments when sending email with Outlook 2003
    ... can be plain text, rich text, or html. ... I am connect to an ISP and using OUtlook. ...
    (microsoft.public.outlook)
  • Re: winmail.dat
    ... Does HTML format NOT have these problems that rich text has? ... I thought the links I oringinally inlcuded suggested the problem was with anything but plain text. ... HTML format will work properly and give you some rich-text capabilities. ... RTF should not be used to send internet mail - even if the other person has Outlook, their mail server may remove the tnef information in the message and they'll get plain text. ...
    (microsoft.public.outlook.general)
  • Re: Outlook not sending attachments
    ... tested my setup using Plain Text and the attachments went ... >>I use Outlook 2000 as my email client. ...
    (microsoft.public.outlook.general)